Horace Andy, Creation Rebel and Adrian Sherwood at Spotify O-East, September 14th 2024

 

The list of candidates that could join Bob Marley in reggae’s Mount Rushmore is quite extensive. I think it can’t be argued that there are more than a few legends in the genre. When it comes to solo vocal artists, I’d say that Horace Andy is a strong contender to be among the selected few. His voice and career trajectory, from recording with Studio One in the late sixties and early seventies, to the work he did for the American label Wackies in the eighties. Not to mention his membership to the prestigious Massive Attack crew from the nineties as well as an endless list of classics of the genre empowered by the strength of his unmistakable high pitched voice.

I always thought he was the most likely to make the trip to Japan out of the reggae legends that are still with us, even though he confessed during the show that the reason he hasn’t been before is because he hates flying. I was elated when it was finally announced that he will coming for a three dates tour. The show was under the banner of On U Sound Dub Sessions 2024, the label founded by Adrian Sherwood in 1980 to bridge the gap between Jamaica and UK punk. Sherwood performed and did live dub mixes along with another celebrated act from the label, Creation Rebel.

The aforementioned On U Sound band opened the show, but before they went on stage, instead of the lights being on with music playing from the venue sound system, they had an actual artist on stage DJing as the people were getting into the venue. It was actually someone who recorded for On U, Masa from Audio Active. He brought a delightful selection of deep cuts from the label. Masa’s energy was contagious, with his gyrating moves and energetic lip-syncing. He received, and deservedly so, applause in between songs and and at the end of the set.

Creation Rebel brought the ruckus with a piercing set accompanied by amazing visuals in the back. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed in the area I stood at. In my opinion instead of benefiting the experience this policy ended up being distracting and affected the enjoyment of the show, because of the rule enforcement with the bouncers literally bouncing from the front rail chasing those who wanted a memento in their phones. The set went on amazingly, with tunes from classic albums like Starship Africa and Dub From Creation, with the voice of the immortal Prince Far I joining the procedures and the presence of three original members. Unfortunately the whole policing against picture takers was a total turn-off, very distracting.

The same happened during the incredible set by head honcho Adrian Sherwood, but by then people were more used to it so it was somewhat less disruptive. Sherwood, who was at the controls adding even more psychedelic flourishes to Creation Rebel’s dub stylings, gave a master class of a DJ set. The way it progressed and juxtaposed traditional sounds with stuff bordering dubstep, his focus on mostly Lee Scratch Perry productions and the out of this world visuals, were a combination that paid off. I was in awe by the end of it

And then Horace Andy came to stage and finished the job monumentally. With Creation Rebel as his backing band with an added horn section, he opened with the first track from his latest LP, the Sherwood produced Midnight Rocker. The song This Must Be Hell was perfect for setting up the mood for a set that included classics along songs from his latest. Highlights from the latter were tunes like the Massive Attack cover Safe From Harm, the ominous Today Is Right Here and my personal favorite Mr. Bassie. That stretch that went on from Man Next Door, a song that Andy famously rerecorded with Massive Attack for the album Mezzanine, up to Fever was so jaw droopingly funky, it was literally impossible not to dance along to.

That level of energy was extremely hard to keep intact, so it dwindled a bit. Might be in part because of the performer’s age, but the band sounded less tight towards the end of the show, a bit sloppier. One thing that remained pristine throughout was Horace Andy’s tenor. What an amazing and commanding voice. The classics kept on coming, Money Money, Skylarking, Cuss Cuss and the closer Leave Rasta, Horace Andy’s swag on stage is unparalleled. The way he strutted as he sang was infectious and a reminder that were were in the presence of a legend -I've been saying that a lot lately, but it's true! I managed to snap a single picture, enjoy.
 
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